Escondido chief to be internal hire

City will choose among three captains; outside search not part of process

ESCONDIDO  Escondido officials say they will choose the city's next police chief from a group of three captains based on how those captains perform in a series of skills challenges between mid-July and early August.

The city will not conduct a regional or national search for police chief candidates, a Thursday news release said.

The captains vying for the 150-officer Police Department's top job are Bob Benton, Craig Carter and Mike Loarie.

The new chief will replace longtime Chief Jim Maher, who announced his retirement last October after being placed on leave for a personnel investigation.

An anonymous email sent June 1 to City Council members says the investigation that led to Maher’s mysterious retirement was prompted by text messages exchanged by Carter and Benton that the email described as racist and insubordinate. City officials have been unwilling to confirm or deny that, and Carter and Benton haven't returned repeated phone calls.

Last week, City Manager Clay Phillips issued a statement that the city has a "zero tolerance policy towards racial comments in the workplace." He also said he has "the highest admiration and confidence in all of the members of our Police Department."

During the selection process, Carter, Benton and Loarie will be given an opportunity to demonstrate their skills to a group of observers who will carefully monitor their responses, according to the city. Officials said they expect the process to be completed by early August, with a new chief announced shortly after.